Shipyard Blohm & Voss

The Blohm & Voss shipyard, founded in 1877, is located near the old Elbetunnel. While mainly submarines were produced there during World War I, after 1933 the shipyard developed into one of the most important armament producers of transport and warships, where from the beginning of the war mainly submarines were produced, and from 1944 also Type XXI. The launches of ships built at the shipyard, such as the battleship the Bismarck, were organized by the Nazi regime with great propaganda efforts. As one of the largest dry docks in Europe, the 351-meter-long and 59-meter-wide dry dock Elbe 17 was inaugurated at this location in 1942. Prisoners from the Concentration Camp Neuengamme, who from 1944 were employed directly in the shipyard's weapons production or in repairing air war damage on the factory site. The shipyard facilities were blown up and dismantled after the war. The gradual resumption of shipyard activities began in 1953. Ships of various sizes are still produced and maintained at the Hamburg site. In March 2010, the shipyard, which operates under the name Blohm + Voss Shipyards, was sold to the international shipbuilding group Abu Dhabi MAR.

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Source

• Text: Martin Kaule
• Photos: Koos Winkelman
• KAULE, M., Nordseeküste 1933–1945, 2011.